BURNHAM Olympian Liam Phillips has told the Weekly News of his relief that thieves who broke into his home and stole his car did not take any sentimental possessions.

The house in Manchester that BMX star Liam shares with Great Britain's Olympic gold medal winning track cyclist Philip Hindes was targeted by thieves in August.

They smashed their way in through the back door of the property and stole Philip's Olympic training bike and the spare keys to Liam's Volkswagen Golf.

The car was later recovered but it had been destroyed by fire.

Liam told the Weekly News: “I'd been on holiday in Spain with some old school friends from Burnham. Philip was also away.

“On the morning of the day I was due to fly home, I got a call to say there'd been a break in.

“Initially I feared they'd targeted the house for Philip's gold medal but lucky he had taken it away with him.

“They turned the place upside down looking for my spare keys.

“Luckily I didn't have my Olympic kit in the house and I'm grateful none of my sentimental items were in there.

“Obviously it was very annoying.

“It's the ultimate intrusion of privacy - when you close your front door you expect that to be the safest place in the world.

“To know that somebody has been through your stuff is quite unnerving.”

Despite that ordeal, Liam told the Weekly News he has been enjoying the chance to relax after months of gruelling training.

He said: “I got injured several weeks before the Olympics but I didn't really have a chance to let my body recover because I had to be ready for the Games.

“Now I can eat what I want, drink what I want and do what I want, when I want.”

He added: “Between Christmas and the Olympics, I only had time to come back to Burnham twice, but I've been back more often since.

“It's been really nice having the chance to see my family in Brent Knoll, and the reaction from everybody back home has been mad.”